1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of archery in general and in particular to a method and apparatus for both facilitating the installation of fletching on all arrows in general and in particular for checking the sizing of individual shafts and producing an improved hunting arrow in the process.
2. Description of Related Art
As most people who are actively involved in the sport of archery are aware, the cresting of arrow shafts with different colored and width painted stripes has long been accepted as the preferred way of identifying one archers arrows from another archers arrows.
While this particular method is more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which it has been intended, it is uniformly deficient with respect to its failure to provide a simple, efficient, and practical method and apparatus for simplifying the application of fletching on arrows with the added benefit of producing an improved hunting arrow in the process.
Another problem encountered in particular with the new carbon shafts is the inclusion of one or more mislabled shafts in a box of a dozen commercially available carbon arrows; wherein due to the relatively small diameters of the individual shafts, the slight differences in the circumference of the shafts are not readily visible and the only way to determine if all of the arrows are properly sized is to weigh each arrow on a grain scale.
Furthermore, the material that is currently employed as a cresting wrap has a uniform thickness of 2 mm which not only lacks durability under most hunting conditions, but is also far too thin to possess any reflective coating which forms the heart of the present invention.
As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need in the archery community for a new and improved method and apparatus for checking for mis-marked shafts, and providing a reflective surface operatively associated with the fletching. The provision of such a method and apparatus is the stated objective of the present invention.
Briefly stated, the method and apparatus for installing fletching on arrow shafts that forms the basis of the present invention is relatively simple and straightforward in hindsight; however, its simplicity is both ingenious and unobvious in both the results it produces for all types of archers in general and in particular for bow hunters.
As will be explained in greater detail further on in the specification, the heart of this invention revolves around the use of a commercially available product which is specifically designed to be employed in large sheets for external signage and wide strips that are applied to fixed structures and clothing to alert individuals to the presence of obstacles or people in low light or dark conditions. The crux of this invention is to employ this commercially available product in a new manner and fashion to provide decorative xe2x80x9ccrestingxe2x80x9d or marking of the arrow shaft in an identifying manner that is somewhat unique to each individual arrow shaft. The product further possesses luminous and/or florescent properties which facilitate both the retrieval of an arrow in low light conditions or after dark and also gives a bow hunter a truer indication of the trajectory of an arrow shot at a game animal after dark as long as the nock end of the arrow has not penetrated the animal""s body cavity.
Given all of the attractive benefits and properties attained through the use of this particular product, it is amazing that to date no one has also discovered the unexpected results produced by using this product as an intermediate layer between a carbon or graphite arrow shaft and fletching; wherein, the intermediate layer has an inner adhesive coating that secures the wrapped layer to the nock end of a carbon arrow and an outer florescent and/or reflective material impregnated surface which readily accepts most common fletching techniques to securely anchor fletching to carbon or graphite arrows. Furthermore, by producing the cresting material in strips having specific dimensions the user can quickly and easily make a determination as to whether or not a particular arrow is properly sized regardless of the alleged size provided by the manufacturer.